Reports: Search For 'Lake Pirates' Victim Suspended

CNN and the McAllen Monitor are reporting that Mexican authorities have suspended the search for David Hartley, the American man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on the Mexican side of Lake Falcon two weeks ago.

"Our investigators have taken a temporary recess so that we can better assess the strategies we are using to find the body. We are currently considering other approaches to our search," Ruben Dario Rios, spokesperson for the state attorney general's office in Tamaulipas, told CNN.

"There is a recess," Rios told the Monitor on Thursday. "We are going to look into new strategies between both U.S. and Mexican authorities in order to see what we can do, because up to now we have not been able to recover the body of this person."

"We hope that with this rethinking, we can resume the search for David Hartley in a few days," he said.

David Hartley's wife, Tiffany, says that he was shot while the couple were jet skiing on the Mexican side of the lake. Since the incident, conflicting reports of the investigation have come from both sides of the border, while no trace of David Hartley or his jet ski has yet been found.

This week, the severed head of the investigation's supervisor was discovered by Mexican authorities. Officials have denied a connection between the search and the beheading.

CNN also reports that Tamaulipas state governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores, in Washington D.C. today for pre-scheduled meetings, told the network that Tiffany Hartley was meeting with FBI and Mexican federal authorities today in Texas. Flores also said he was meeting with FBI officials in Washington about the case.

About The Author

Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website?s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl@talkingpointsmemo.com